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Davante Adams didn't like what he saw in his first official game as a member of the New York Jets.
“There was a lack of energy and urgency out there, and it was apparent,” Adams explained. “I played on teams that have that winning culture, and just basically I just took a moment to let them know I had reservations about speaking up too early and being too vocal too early. But I felt like in my mind, I said, ‘F that, because we don't have time. I have to do whatever I have to do to help the team move forward.'”
It was a moment that resonated with the team. Rodgers called it, “the realest speech I'd ever heard in a locker room in 20 years.”
Adams even got positive feedback from the owner after the speech.
“Everybody had something to say about it, and I don't think there's one person in there that it didn't resonate with,” Adams said.
So now the question is this: Will Adams' speech make much difference?
Davante Adams trying to will Jets into turnaround
The long-term implications are unknown, but at least in the here and now as the Jets prepare to take on the New England Patriots in Week 8, absolutely it will rejuvenate this team.
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First of all, the Jets and Patriots have a great rivalry. No, it's not the Green Bay Packers versus the Chicago Bears but these are two AFC East teams with plenty of history between them. It was already going to be a rowdy environment in Foxborough on Sunday afternoon.
Now add in the fact that both teams look terrible at the moment (the Patriots are 1-6) and if there's nothing else to play for, they're going to be playing for pride.
Pride was going to be on the line anyhow in this contest, but now the Jets have one of their own calling them out. Adams may have only been in the locker room for a few weeks, but as he pointed out, he knows what a winning culture looks like and he knows what a losing culture looks like. To have him come in with an outsider's perspective and call the team out like that — it's going to resonate on Sunday.
Emotions aside, there's also the football aspect to consider.
Rodgers may be closer to “washed” than not, but this is still Aaron Rodgers we are talking about. Do we really expect him to go another week playing so-so football? Do we really think he won't target Adams more and more until the two of them quickly get back on the same page and start turning some of those catches into six points?
The two superstars played together for eight seasons with the Packers. They connected on 615 regular-season passes for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns. Keep in mind, that doesn't even include the playoffs. If you add those stats in, they've connected on 76 touchdown passes together, which is fourth-most all-time amongst quarterback-wideout combinations.
Yes, they're both a little bit “over the hill” and they've both been banged up at times this season, but the Patriots provide each player with a perfect opportunity to bounce back.
The Patriots are giving up 223.4 yards per game through the air and 359.6 total yards per game. They just watched rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jaguars put up five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown on them, which included this beautiful catch.
If a rookie wideout can do that against the Patriots defense, what's a fired-up Adams going to do?
“I'm just trying to bring a different type of swag and culture in here,” Adams said.
We'll see that swag again in Week 8 against the Pats.
